Babysitting
by Olive The Whovian
Summary: Third story in my Tentoo and Rose series. The Doctor and Rose babysit Tony and the Doctor experiments with macaroni. It's another fluffy one too.


The Doctor lay on the sofa, Rose cuddled next to him with her head on his chest. Some celebrity gossip show was playing on the telly, but he was just enjoying Rose's company rather than the silly show. The Doctor heard a light snore and he smiled as he looked down and saw that Rose had fallen asleep. He decided to stay still and let her sleep. She'd been working so hard at Torchwood this week; she deserved some rest.

Unfortunately, Jackie chose that moment to yell down the stairs and wake her up. Rose sat up with a start. "Oh! Was that my mum, Doctor?" He nodded and then groaned as Jackie came clomping down the staircase in huge high heels. Pete came following behind not much later wearing a tux and bowtie.

Jackie strode loudly in her heels to where the Doctor and Rose were sitting on the sofa. She frowned at the sight of them together. It was apparent that she still didn't care for the Doctor much. But she still let him have a room in her house, albeit after a lot of begging from Rose.

"Rose, dear", Jackie started, "Pete and I have been invited to a party for one of his business associates. So I need you to watch Tony for us." As if on cue, a small body came flying down the stairs and into the living room. A little boy with honey-blonde curls and big brown eyes jumped up onto the sofa between Rose and the Doctor.

Tony looked up at Rose with such a sweet face, it made her heart melt. "Mummy said I get to play with you and the Doctor all night!" he exclaimed. Rose laughed and tapped him on the nose. "Well how could I say no to such a sweet face?" Jackie smiled at Rose.

"Thank you. Alright, love. We'll be home around midnight, and I don't want Tony to stay up too late, you hear?" Rose nodded. "The Doctor and I will take care of him, mum", she answered. At the mention of the Doctor, Jackie turned to glare at him. As she and Pete walked out the door, she turned and yelled, "You behave now!" seemingly to Tony, but the Doctor knew it was probably aimed towards him.

When Jackie and Pete were gone, the Doctor turned to Rose and said, "She still doesn't like me much." Rose smiled embarrassingly and shrugged. "Ah, she'll warm up to you one day." The Doctor scoffed. "She's known me for four years now!"

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a sniffle. Tony was still sitting in between them looking from Rose and then the Doctor, obviously upset that he wasn't the center of attention. "Well?" he asked. "What are we gonna do? I'm boooored!" He dragged the word out as if to emphasize. Rose smiled at him and then pulled him up in her lap. "Well what do you want to do, Tony Pepperoni?" Tony giggled hysterically at the sound of his little nickname she'd given him. "I want to play hide-and-seek!" he answered.

"Okay, Tony. Who counts first?" Rose asked the toddler. Tony raised his hand lightning fast and shrieked, "Not it!" Rose caught on quickly and did the same. The Doctor was left befuddled. Rose and Tony both looked at him and laughed. "You're it, Doctor!" Rose told him. The Doctor still looked confused.

"And what does 'it' mean?" he asked, obviously still not understanding. "I don't get these little human games!" Rose laughed and explained to him what 'it' was. The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. "Alright..." he said slowly. "So I just count to a number and then try and find you?" Rose nodded. "Easy enough?" she asked. "I think I can do that", he replied. "I'll start counting. You two go hide." Rose and Tony giggled as they scampered off to find a hiding place.

The Doctor cracked a grin as he turned over on the sofa and covered his eyes to count. As he counted aloud so the other two would know when he was coming, he heard Rose's whispers and the pitter-patter of little feet. When he got to thirty he yelled, "Okay I'm coming to find you now!"

The Doctor slowly walked around the house, taking large steps and talking very loudly, to let the hiders know where he was. He heard a little squeal coming from the kitchen. He opened the kitchen door and walked around slowly. "Hmm..." he said aloud. "Now I wonder, where could Tony be?" Tony could not conceal his laughter. The Doctor turned towards the table and lifted up the tablecloth. "Gotcha!" he said. Tony fell over shrieking with laughter.

"Alright, Tony. Now why don't we go find your sister?" Tony grinned and crawled out from under the table. He lifted his arms up to the Doctor, who swept him up off the floor and onto his shoulders. "Look at me!" Tony yelled from his high perch on the Doctor's shoulders. "I'm the king of the world!"

The Doctor chuckled. "You most certainly are. Now let's go looking, shall we?" Tony grabbed a fistful of the Doctor's hair and pointed towards the door. "Let's go, horsie!" The Doctor raised an eyebrow and smiled. He still had vague memories of playing with his own children so long ago on Gallifrey... Sometimes he almost missed being a father. He pushed that thought out of his mind and put on a cheery face for Tony.

They wandered through the halls calling for Rose. The Doctor pushed open a door and they found themselves in a long corridor. Suddenly, from behind a door in the long hall, there was a loud crash and a whispered, "ouch!" Tony looked down at the Doctor and giggled. "Shhh..." the Doctor whispered. "You wanna scare her?" he asked. Tony nodded his head vigorously, a mischievous smile on his face.

They creeped up to the door and silently counted to three. Then they flung the door open and yelled, "BOO!" Rose met their faces with surprise. "Oi! You two scared me half to death, you did!" Then they all burst into laughter. The Doctor noticed that Rose was surrounded by boxes tipped over and loads of random junk. "What happened in here?" he asked with an eyebrow cocked.

"I um, bumped my head on the shelf and all the boxes fell on me", she answered bashfully. "So I guess I'm it now?" Tony shook his head. "I don't wanna play anymore", he complained. "Well what are we gonna do?" she asked him.

Tony rubbed his stomach and said "I'm hungry!" The Doctor glanced at Rose and said, "I could cook us something for dinner, if you'd like to rest for a bit." Rose grinned her signature grin. "That's very sweet of you." Then she stood on her toes an gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Tony stuck his tongue out as if in disgust. "Blech", he said. The Doctor put Tony down on the floor and told him to go wait for him in the living room. Rose smiled and said, "I'm gonna rest up for bit. Call for me when dinner's ready." Then she went off to her room.

The Doctor went down to the living room and turned on the telly for Tony. A strange little program about colorful, chubby aliens was playing and Tony immediately sat down on the sofa and locked his eyes on the screen. The Doctor rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Is that really what they think aliens are like?"

He stepped into the kitchen and started roaming in the cupboards to see what he could cook. He wasn't really the best chef, but he'd wanted to give Rose a break for a while. At last he hit the jackpot- boxed macaroni and cheese. The instructions looked simple enough, so he decided to try his luck.

About an hour and several stove fires later, the Doctor was finished. He stepped out of the kitchen and called Rose and Tony to come eat. Tony ran straight to the kitchen and plopped himself in his seat, on top of a phone book so he could reach the tabletop. Rose came down the stairs a bit later and walked into the kitchen as well. She gasped at what she saw before her.

The kitchen was a mess! Pots and pans and measuring cups were strewn around, a large puddle of water was in front of the sink, the stove was covered in ash, and powdered cheese was everywhere. Rose approached the table and saw the Doctor standing in front of it. He was wearing oven mitts and an apron that was covered in powdered cheese, and holding a huge pot of macaroni. He grinned widely and held out the pot. "Bon appetite!" he exclaimed.

Rose had to refrain from laughing as she noticed that powdered cheese was also in his hair. "Umm... Doctor? Did you cook or was there a battle held in here?" she joked. He grinned cheekily. "I was planning on cleaning up after dinner." They both laughed and sat down at the table.

The Doctor scooped large portions of macaroni onto everyone's plates. It didn't have much flavor and it was a bit rubbery, but Tony ate with gusto, and Rose just didn't want to hurt the Doctor's feelings, especially since he was sweet enough to cook for them. "It's a bit rubbish, this meal is", the Doctor interjected. Rose couldn't help but laugh and nod. "I think I'm done with cooking", he added.

After they'd finished eating, Rose looked at the clock and realised it was already eight, which was Tony's bedtime. The Doctor stood up and gathered everyone's plates. He took them to the kitchen and dumped them in the sink. "I'll clean up the kitchen while you put Tony in bed", he called over his shoulder. Rose got up from the table and said "No, you cooked for us. I'll clean. I bet Tony'd love it if you told him a bedtime story." The Doctor shrugged. "Alright. C'mon, Tony."

He picked up Tony and carried him upstairs to his room. "You wanna get your pajamas on, Tony?" he asked the little boy. Tony nodded then pulled his drawer open and grabbed his favorite pair of footie pajamas with little bananas on them. The Doctor smiled and told him, "Ah, a great choice! I like bananas. Bananas are good." Tony giggled. "You're funny, Doctor!" The Doctor smiled down at him. "Am I now?" Tony modded his head. He lifted his arms up so the Doctor could help him get his shirt off. Then he unbuttoned his trousers, with glee at the fact that he could now unbutton them by himself.

The Doctor helped him into his pajamas and then tucked him in bed. As he turned to leave, he heard Tony say, "What about my bedtime story?" The Doctor turned around and kneeled by Tony's bed. "I almost forgot! What story would you like to hear?" Tony thought for a minute, concentrating. Then he shrugged. The Doctor chuckled. "How about if I tell you a story my mum used to tell me when I was your age?" Tony's face lit up. "Yeah!" he exclaimed.

The Doctor told him an old Gallifreyan fairy tale that his own mother had told him when he was only a little boy. Near the end of the story, Tony's eyes started to get heavy. When the Doctor finished, he was out cold. "Goodnight, Tony", the Doctor whispered. Then he kissed his forehead and turned to leave, flicking the light off on the way out. He shut the door behind him and almost jumped out of his skin when he noticed Rose standing close by.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked her. "Oh, long enough", she answered with a grin. "Your story was lovely." The Doctor flashed a smile. "My own mum told me that story, a long long time ago", he told her. They started to walk down the stairs.

"Doctor..." Rose started to say. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" Rose looked away. "Never mind", she replied. "What is it Rose? You can tell me anything, you know that." She blushed and said, "Well, I was watching you, and I just thought that you'd be a good father."

The Doctor blushed himself. "I would, hmm?" He sat back down on the sofa and patted the seat next to him. Rose sat. He put his arm around her and sighed. "I think we're pretty good babysitters, don't you?" Rose smiled with her tongue poking out. "Yeah, I think we are."


End file.
